5jili Skidding No. 10 Kansas hopes to get right vs. NC StateAfter D.W. Weaver, teacher of the Grace Methodist boys class, read an article about the Boy Scouts of America, the first troop in Keyser was founded in the spring of 1910. The boys were captivated by the ideas of “doing a good turn daily.” After the first troop was organized, other town boys were motivated to join. It was an opportunity to put the “gang spirit to work for good.” In a very short time the troop had the full quantity of 32 members. Soon a second troop was organized. Meetings of Keyser Troop #1 were held in the Mystic Chain Hall on North Main Street. Boys learned the principles of scouting, the oath, motto, and about the flag, but also about the obligation or joy and importance of service to other people. Two years later, the Presbyterian minister took over the troop. He set the groundwork for a three-day camping trip in 1912 along the old covered bridge across Patterson Creek in Burlington. The campers loaded all their camping equipment, which was very limited, on a merchant’s wagon pulled by a horse. Before getting to camp, all the boys pushed to help the overloaded horse up the hills enroute from Keyser to Burlington. There were no cabins, merely tents of all sizes and shapes. Everyone slept on the ground. These summer camps offered a variety of practical classes including swimming, water rescue or life guard badges as well as first aid. The boys also learned to assist with crowd and traffic control. Details of a memorable camp incident more than 100 years ago has been noted. A scout baseball game was interrupted by an unusual hail storm. Hail the size of walnuts destroyed the boys’ tents along Patterson Creek. The scouts were forced to shelter in the Old Homestead Hotel that night. The next day they caught the TM&P railroad back to Keyser. During the 1918 influenza era, Troops One and Two became emergency Red Cross units. They helped establish an emergency hospital and assisted in its continuous operation by keeping its fires going in the furnace at night. Basically, the boys assisted nurses at the hospital, ran errands of mercy, and delivered medications to homes of infected shut-ins. In June 1923 the scouts assisted with the popular week-long annual cultural event, the Chautauqua lectures, concerts and entertainers that came to Keyser. In fact, boy scouts knocked on doors in Keyser assisting with selling tickets, setting up tents, ushering spectators to their seats and keeping the grounds clean and neat during the Chautauqua activities. On an August 1924 camping trip the troop with scoutmaster Paul Hardy participated for the second year at the farm of the Stump family along the South Branch of the Potomac. There was a strict schedule for the boys, with requirements such as arising and leaving their tents at 6:10 a.m. for the flag salute and calisthenics before a morning swim at half past six and breakfast at 7 a.m. During the morning following inspections of the tents, policy training before scout instructions and schooling began at 9 a.m. Life saving drills followed at 11. After lunch at noon, game time, hiking and various contests were scheduled before swimming and water sports. After the evening meal, the day ended with campfires at 7:30 p.m., more games, stunts and stories entertained the troop. At 8:30 there was a “Call to Quarters” with all boys in the tents—lights were out and quiet at 9 p.m. A lifelong history buff, Betty Bane Dzubba shares her love of local history on The Back Page for Mountain Streams Radio and HistoryBits for the Mineral News & Tribune.

Sign up below to get Mission Local’s free newsletter , a daily digest of news you won’t find elsewhere. In The Lab, a performer going at a wall with a pick-axe during a concert might seem symbolic. After all, the Mission gallery and performance space has always supported artists who break down conventions in music and visual arts. But the demolition last September by Mission District sound artist Victoria Shen (aka Evicshen ) was more than a provocation. She was lending a hand to a remodel — an ongoing expansion that figures to transform the The Lab, an essential arts space, on the cusp of its fifth decade. As Mission Local reported last year , The Lab secured a new 12-year lease at its location in the Redstone Building, expanding into currently unused space. (The venue declined to rent that space when it relocated from its original location, at Bush and Divisadero, back in 1995.) When the wall Shen assaulted finally comes down, The Lab will encompass the entirety of the building’s main auditorium, says Andrew Smith, who succeeded Dena Beard as The Lab’s executive director last year. “We’re turning that back room, which was used as storage in recent years, into exhibition space, while inviting artists to play with that wall at the back in preparation for a major floor-plan remodel,” adds Smith. In doing so, they’ll restore the original footprint of the historic building, which was San Francisco’s Labor Temple, and dates to 1914. Further work on the wall will figure into The Lab’s 40th birthday celebration Saturday, Dec. 7, a party featuring food by veteran chef Leif Hedendal, an open bar, and a set by composer, vocalist and electronics artist Pamela Z . It’s something of a farewell performance before she heads off to Germany for much of 2025, as the recipient of a prestigious Berlin Prize Fellowship. No matter what happens across the country, Mission Local remains your source of in-depth San Francisco reporting . Now, more than ever, we're hoping you can support nonprofit, independent journalism in your community. We have $70,000 in matching gifts — double your donation today! Z plans to present a set of her solo works for voice and electronics. “I want to do something that plays with the site itself, and the wall that’s currently being demolished,” says Z, adding that she’ll including pieces that span the duration of her relationship with The Lab. Z has been associated with the space since the late 1980s, when she presented her first full evening performance there. As she’s honed her lapidary practice — sculpting sound in real time by looping her voice and triggering samples via an evolving array of bespoke gear — Z has returned to the The Lab again and again. For several years, she presented an avant revue “where I’d fill the evening with work by people from all different disciplines, segueing one to another,” says Z, who’s also served on The Lab’s board. There was her one-act opera, “Wonder Cabinet,” a collaboration with cellist Matthew Brubeck inspired by the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles “where we transformed the theater with scrims,” she recalls. But some of her most significant work at The Lab was far less publicized. For about a decade, starting in the early ‘90s, a series of grants from the California Arts Council funded a Lab residency for Z. When the venue moved to the Redstone Building, the program became a vital part of the Mission’s creative ecosystem. At first her sound and performance workshops were designed for at-risk youth, “and then low-income women, and then low-income residents of the Mission,” Z says. “A lot of interesting artists took those workshops. Choreographers left feeling they could make sound scores for their own performances, and they’d build these new works.” With about 10 people in each eight-week course, Z introduced Mission denizens to the ins and outs of sound production. Together, they worked in The Lab’s studio, set up by sound artist Ed Osborn, “a little room in the back with a computer station with Pro Tools and a midi keyboard,” she said. “I’d have the group meet once a week in the gallery, and each session I’d cover one thing: found text, timbre, Foley, and also talking about performance itself as an art form. Every week I’d give an assignment to create something, and the second half of the session they’d all present what they’d done.” More than a classroom, The Lab has also served as an incubator and host for events like the San Francisco Electronic Music Festival . Z was involved in creating that showcase, and in recent years it’s taken place at The Lab. “Especially in the last few years, we’ve been having other organizations come in and use the space,” Smith says. “That tends to fly under the radar. The American Indian Cultural District is in the space five or six times a year. We just did a big fashion show production with a trans Latina group .” In many ways, The Lab is a survivor from the city’s freewheeling past, when artists could afford rent with a part-time job and numerous storefront spaces provided environments in which creative endeavors could take shape. With the space’s future assured through at least 2036, Smith sees The Lab as vital foothold for experimental artists in the neighborhood. “A huge part of my decision to expand The Lab is to really lock down the space for public use,” he says. “It has been a really important resource for other Mission residents.” ’40 Years of the Lab (with Pamela Z)’ takes place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at The Lab, 2948 16th St. Tickets ($17 and up) and more info here . For us at Mission Local, it brought a realization that while we can still be puzzled by this country and city, we can serve it best by covering it as journalists. Your support allowed us to bring you extensive election coverage in 2024 . Now, regardless of the national results, we’ll be following up on all of the promises that the winning candidates made here in San Francisco. Independent, nonprofit outlets like ours rely on your donations to make this happen. It is how we continue to do our job and expand our coverage every year. And now we are in the crazy period of end-of-year fundraising at an equally crazy political time. We have $70,000 in matching funds. More than 80 readers have already donated to our year-end campaign. Join them by giving today to double your donation. Join more than 1,800 other donors who give to Mission Local. Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn MastodonKey Takeaways No longer confined to science fiction or experimental labs, robots are now playing pivotal roles in manufacturing, food service and warehousing. From startups looking to scale quickly to established enterprises seeking efficiency, automation is proving indispensable across sectors. Faced with labor shortages, rising operational costs and increasing demands for efficiency, companies like Amazon, Chipotle and Tesla are turning to automation to fill critical gaps. These advanced machines — whether humanoid or task-specific — aren't just supporting workers; they're reshaping how businesses operate. The question is no longer if robots will be part of the workforce, but how far their influence will extend. The global labor shortage, intensified by the pandemic and shifting workforce dynamics, has made automation an urgent solution. For startups, which often operate with lean teams, automation offers a way to expand capabilities without significantly increasing headcount. Industries traditionally reliant on manual labor, such as agriculture and food service, are now looking to robots to streamline operations and enhance productivity and safety. Related: 4 Choices You'll Make Running Your Startup in the Age of Robots and AI Robots are taking over Recent advances in humanoid robots and task-specific automated systems have significantly expanded their capabilities. Even startups in emerging industries are leveraging task-specific robots to gain competitive advantages, such as faster delivery times or streamlined customer service. Tesla's Optimus robot operates autonomously in factory environments, while Agibot has been deployed for customer service and deliveries. These robots are taking on sophisticated roles, from performing repetitive tasks to enhancing service operations, effectively redefining productivity and efficiency across industries like agriculture, construction and hospitality. In warehousing, robotic systems have made dramatic strides. Amazon, a pioneer in automation, catalyzed this shift by acquiring Kiva Systems in 2012. Initially, autonomous mobile robots handled tasks in robot-only zones, such as picking and packing. Today, they work alongside human employees , taking on physically demanding and hazardous tasks (like heavy lifting) while improving safety and efficiency. Agriculture is also undergoing a transformation through robotics. Sensor-based technologies enable robots to manage planting, harvesting and livestock care with precision. By optimizing the use of inputs like fertilizers, these systems reduce environmental impact, enhance biodiversity and improve crop yields, supporting a more sustainable and productive future for farming. Similarly, the construction industry has embraced robotic solutions. Innovations like Fastbrick Robotics' Hadrian X , which is capable of laying 300 to 1,000 bricks per hour, drastically reduce the time and labor needed for traditional methods. These advancements address labor shortages while minimizing the physical strain on workers. In mining, the integration of robotics, artificial intelligence and drones is reshaping site management. Companies like Trimble and Hexagon use drones to create digital twins — 3D models of real-world environments — enabling remote monitoring and real-time decision-making. This enhances safety by reducing human exposure to hazardous conditions and improves overall operational efficiency. Robots driving change in key industries The integration of robotics in labor-intensive industries has streamlined operations and improved business outcomes. Sweetgreen, for example, faced high costs and profitability concerns, leading them to acquire robotics startup Spyce and implement " Infinity Kitchens. " These automated systems can produce more than 500 salads per hour, reducing labor needs, cutting overhead and improving accuracy. This example highlights how automation can help entrepreneurs bridge operational challenges, enabling them to scale without compromising quality or profitability. While full profitability is still a goal, Sweetgreen's use of automation shows how robots enhance agility and support leaner operations in dynamic markets. White Castle has embraced automation with Flippy 2 , an advanced robot that automates frying, boosting output by 30% and reducing safety risks from hot oil. Instead of replacing workers, Flippy 2 allows employees to focus on customer service, enhancing the overall dining experience. Related: Walmart's Using More Robots — But Says They'll Actually Extend Warehouse Workers' Careers These examples from the restaurant industry highlight how robotic systems are tackling labor shortages while elevating operational efficiency and service quality. By strategically deploying automation, businesses can remain agile, competitive and responsive to market demands, optimizing both their front- and back-end operations. Automation's growing impact on business As automation continues to advance across industries such as restaurants, grocery stores and warehouses, businesses face several challenges when integrating robots into their operations. Over the next five years, we are likely to see fully automated environments where human roles shift primarily to oversight rather than direct involvement in production. Despite the promise of automation, there are key hurdles that businesses must overcome to ensure a smooth transition while maximizing the benefits. 1. Workforce displacement concerns One of the most pressing challenges is the fear that robots will displace human workers . This concern is valid, especially as robots become more sophisticated, mimicking human interactions and taking over tasks like order processing, food preparation and even childcare. Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, was showcased at the recent "We, Robot" event; it exemplifies this trend by introducing functionalities that include tasks traditionally performed by humans. However, rather than viewing robots as a threat, it's essential to focus on how automation can enhance the workforce by shifting human roles toward higher-level tasks. Skilled technicians will be needed to monitor and maintain these advanced systems, creating new employment opportunities in this emerging sector. For startups, integrating robots early on can establish a foundation for scalable operations, positioning them to adapt as the technology evolves. 2. High initial costs of automation Another challenge businesses face is the high upfront cost of integrating robotic systems. The hardware, software and training investments required to implement automation can be substantial. While these costs may seem prohibitive, many startups are exploring innovative funding models, like venture capital or leasing programs, to offset the initial financial burden. To mitigate these costs, companies should adopt a phased approach, gradually introducing robotics into their operations. This allows businesses to test and fine-tune their systems without risking disruptions to core processes. Much like the rollout of self-checkout lanes in retail , incremental adoption enables businesses to ensure that automation is effective and efficient before expanding it. Related: Robots Aren't Stealing Jobs -- They're Making Them Better 3. Adapting to new roles and skill sets As robots take on more tasks, human workers will need to adapt to new roles focused on overseeing robotic systems and maintaining operational efficiency. This shift requires retraining workers to become skilled in areas such as robotics maintenance, system programming and troubleshooting. Startups that invest in training their workforce early can build a team adept at managing robotics , giving them a head start in an increasingly automated market. Businesses must invest in workforce development to provide a smooth transition from manual labor to more advanced technical roles. This maximizes the benefits of automation while helping to alleviate concerns about job loss by upskilling employees for the future. By addressing these challenges head-on and creating a balanced approach to robotic integration, companies can make sure that automation enhances both productivity and workforce adaptability. As robots become more advanced, industries must shift their focus to creating a symbiotic relationship between humans and machines , where both can thrive in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. For entrepreneurs, the ability to integrate robotics strategically can mean the difference between staying competitive and being left behind.First dog-friendly cruise scheduled for 2025. Organizers hope it turns into a recurring event.

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